System and method for utilizing non-EMF based objects in an EMF environment

• US 20060156277A1
• Filed: 01/12/2005
• Published: 07/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hasson, Laurent D., Gupta, Titania M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,506,303 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4493 Object persistence

Abstract

A system, method and program product for generating artifacts that can convert back and forth between non-EMF (Eclipse Modeling Framework) objects and EMF-based objects in an EMF-based runtime environment such as Web Data Objects (WDO) or Service Data Objects (SDO). Included is a system for inputting one or more non EMF application classes such as Java Beans and generating artifacts that include: a source meta model (ecore) that describes the data model defined by the input application classes; an EMap file that contains mappings between the classes and properties of the non-EMF objects and the EMF Objects; a target meta model (ecore) which represents the source meta model as transformed by the emap mappings; and a set of java classes (Mediators and DiffHandlers) that will at runtime perform the transformation between the two environments (non-EMF and EMF based objects).

Claims

1. A system for generating a target meta model file that can convert non-EMF (Eclipse Modeling Framework) objects to EMF-based objects in an EMF-based runtime environment, comprising:

a system for inputting a source meta model that describes a data model and runtime support for the data model;

a system for inputting an EMap file that maps non-EMF java classes to the source meta model; and

an association mechanism that utilizes the Emap file to associate eClassifiers in the source meta model to non-EMF Java classes in the source meta model.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a system for generating a default source meta model based on a Java Bean.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a system for generating an identity EMap based on an EMap schema.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a system for processing calculated attributes in the EMap file in order to create an expression that will be evaluated at runtime.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the system for processing calculated attributes generates attributes in the target meta model as eStructuralFeatures of a parent EClassifier.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a system for processing iD attributes in the EMap file in order to allow use of combination primary keys.

7. A program product stored a computer readable medium for generating a target meta model file that can convert non-EMF (Eclipse Modeling Framework) objects to EMF-based objects in an EMF-based runtime environment, comprising:

program code configured for inputting a source meta model that describes a data model and runtime support for the data model;

program code configured for inputting an EMap file that maps non-EMF java classes to the source meta model; and

program code configured for utilizing the Emap file to associate eClassifiers in the source meta model to non-EMF Java classes in the source meta model.

8. The program product of claim 7, further comprising program code configured for generating a default source meta model based on a Java Bean.

9. The program product of claim 7, further comprising program code configured for generating an identity EMap based on an EMap schema.

10. The program product of claim 7, further comprising program code configured for processing calculated attributes in the EMap file in order to create an expression that will be evaluated at runtime.

11. The program product of claim 10, wherein the program code configured for processing calculated attributes generates attributes in the target meta model as eStructuralFeatures of a parent EClassifier.

12. The program product of claim 7, further comprising program code configured for processing iD attributes in the EMap file in order to allow use of combination primary keys.

13. A method for generating a target meta model file that can convert non-EMF (Eclipse Modeling Framework) objects to EMF-based objects in an EMF-based runtime environment, comprising:

inputting a source meta model that describes a data model and runtime support for the data model;

inputting an EMap file that maps non-EMF java classes to the source meta model; and

utilizing the Emap file to associate eClassifiers in the source meta model to non-EMF Java classes in the source meta model.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising the further step of generating a default source meta model based on a Java Bean.

15. The method of claim 13, comprising the further step of generating an identity EMap based on an EMap schema.

16. The method of claim 13, comprising the further step of processing calculated attributes in the EMap file in order to create an expression that will be evaluated at runtime.

17. The method of claim 13, comprising the further step of processing calculated attributes generates attributes in the target meta model as eStructuralFeatures of a parent EClassifier.

18. The method of claim 13, comprising the further step of processing iD attributes in the EMap file in order to allow use of combination primary keys.

19. A method for generating a target meta model file that can convert non-EMF (Eclipse Modeling Framework) objects to EMF-based objects in an EMF-based runtime environment, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure being operable to;

input a source ecore that describes a data model and runtime support for the data model;

input an EMap file that maps non-EMF java classes to the source ecore; and

utilize the Emap file to associate eClassifiers in the source ecore to non-EMF Java classes in the source ecore.

20. Computer software embodied in a propagated signal for generating a target meta model file that can convert non-EMF (Eclipse Modeling Framework) objects to EMF-based objects in an EMF-based runtime environment:

the computer software comprising instructions to cause a computer to perform the following functions;

input a source ecore that describes a data model and runtime support for the data model;

input an EMap file that maps non-EMF java classes to the source ecore; and

utilize the Emap file to associate eClassifiers in the source ecore to non-EMF Java classes in the source ecore.